Page 48 of Begin Again, Part 2

No, she didn't. It wasn't even 6:00 PM yet. She'd have nothing but time on her hands if she went home now, since Brenda took care of everything. Time was a dangerous commodity when her heart was in pieces. She needed these two hours to get her shit together.

"Thanks, but I think I deserve an adult night out," she said, forcing herself to eat the popcorn Isaac had so generously bought her. In her fit of anger, she must have dumped the entire saltshaker in there.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She glared at him as she washed down the burn with her sparkling water. No wonder he didn't eat any.

"I thought you were feeling salty today!" He chuckled and took her hand as he held her gaze. She shouldn't encourage him, and they shouldn't have these long, strange pauses. Long, strange pauses created expectations and —

Her phone buzzed in her bag, killing the long, strange pause.

Eden blushed, and looked away, grateful for the interruption. She frowned and ignored the call when she saw it was Liam. She switched her phone to silent mode when he tried for the second time.

"You want to get that?" Isaac furrowed his brow, his voice still low.

In another life, she could listen to him forever; he had a deep, modulated voice. In another life, he would have been so perfect. If only she'd met him first.

"So?" He nodded at the phone on her lap when it flashed again.

Eden gave him a gentle smile, hoping it looked as genuine as she wanted it to be. "It's not important."

"Are you sure?" He tilted his head and tapped his chin. "He called twice. It could be important."

"It's not," she answered quickly, and flipped her phone over so she wouldn't see when Liam tried to call again.

"Okay," Isaac nodded and shifted his attention to the screen.

Eden sighed wistfully as she forced herself to focus on the movie. The dramatic storyline, with all its bittersweet heartbreak, couldn't hold her attention, though. Maybe, because it was too close to home. Halfway through the movie, her eyes began to droop, and after yawning a few times, she gave in to sleep, promising herself it would only be a quick nap.

The ringing sound of a phone jolted Eden awake. She blinked at her surroundings, surprised to see the cinema brightly lit and empty.

"Sorry, I woke you up." Isaac smiled ruefully, waving his phone at her. "It's the babysitter."

"Goodness, no, I'm the one who's sorry. I've kept you too long. How long was I out?" she said, embarrassed that not only did she conk out, but she also fell asleep on his shoulder.

"A little over an hour," Isaac replied.

Eden jumped to her feet, sending her iPhone crashing to the floor. "Why didn't you wake me?"

He leaned forward and picked it up. "You looked so peaceful, I didn't have the heart to disturb you."

"Thanks." She smiled as she took it from him and slipped it inside her bag. Isaac tried to take her hand as they left the cinema, but she gently brushed him off. While they waited for her Uber, she decided to be honest with him again. She valued his friendship and didn't want to create any expectations or misunderstandings.

"Isaac, you're so good to me, but—" She began.

But he drew her in his arms, smiling. "I know, nothing has changed. The heart wants what it wants."

Eden didn't realise how much she needed a hug until that moment, and his words, muffled as they were in her hair, were her unravelling.

She broke into desperate, heart-wrenching howls, and all her attempts to keep it together since her fight with Liam at Fashion Week came undone.

"I'll let it go just this once," Isaac said as he wiped the tears from her eyes. "But if he keeps making you cry like this, I'll have to start courting you."

Eden cracked a small smile, but it wasn't long before she was sobbing on his chest again.

"That's it! Too much adulting for you for one night. Let me take you home," he said as he took her hand and led her to the parking lot across the street.

"But my Uber's on the way," she tried to protest, but Isaac wasn't having any of it.

"I'll feel better if I see you're safe and sound with my own eyes," he insisted, making sure she was happy and comfortable, even though the ride to her place was relatively short. He played upbeat music and turned on the heater to warm her up.

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